Number 113 (Story #2), February 3, 1993 by Phillip F. Schewe and Ben Stein CARBON NANOTUBES FILLED WITH ATOMIC MATERIAL have been made by a group of scientists working at NEC Fundamental Laboratories in Japan. P.M. Ajayan and Sumio Iijima reported that heating nanotubes in the presence of lead and air destroyed the nanotubes' closed ends and caused molten material to be drawn inside the tubes. It is not currently known whether the inner material is pure lead or a compound formed by the mixture of lead and air. Nonetheless, this technique represents a possible way of making nanometer-scale electric wires. In addition, the filled nanotubes are likely to offer new insights into the behavior of matter in confined spaces. (Nature, 28 January 1992).